Wolff expects ‘more intense’ Hamilton and Rosberg battle

Toto Wolff expects the battle between Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg to be “more intense” in 2016 as a result of new radio regulations.

Teams will be heavily restricted on the information they can give to their drivers via team radio this season, with the move being made in order to force drivers to make their own decisions in the car more often. With Hamilton and Rosberg having a tense battle within Mercedes over the past two seasons, Wolff expects the intensity to increase due to the new regulations.

“There is much less information and data being provided to the drivers during the races – on engine modes, on tyres and strategies,” Wolff told the official Formula 1 website.

“So the natural outcome of these regulation changes is that it will be again much more down to the drivers to take decisions. That means that the direct competition between the two is guaranteed and will be more intense.”

And Rosberg says he is a fan of the change as it presents each driver with an opportunity to find an advantage over his rivals.

“It’s challenging but I like it because it’s more down to yourself out there,” Rosberg said. “More and more and more you just figure your own way out out on track. I think that’s good, it’s just more pure and that’s good for the racing.

“Let’s see how it goes. For sure it is an opportunity to do things a little bit better.”

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